Austin Peay football roster breakdown: Meet the new faces for coach Jeff Faris in 2024

Austin Peay football is seeking to defend its United Athletic Conference championship. But the Governors will attempt to do so with fewer than half the players on that team returning.

APSU experienced massive roster turnover when coach Scotty Walden left for UTEP, and former Duke and UCLA assistant Jeff Faris took his place. Here's a breakdown of the Govs' many new faces, and a handful of familiar names, that will try to build on last season's 9-3 record and FCS playoff appearance.

Austin Peay offense

APSU's quarterback battle is still up in the air as Saturday's season opener at Louisville (11 a.m. CT, ACC Network) approaches. A pair of FBS transfers and one returner are battling to succeed Mike DiLiello, the UAC Offensive Player of the Year, who led an offense that averaged 34.1 points and 427 yards per game to rank ninth and 14th, respectively, in FCS.

Graduate transfer Mason Garcia, a four-star recruit out of high school who spent the past four seasons at East Carolina and threw for 408 yards last season, is competing with redshirt junior Austin Smith, who threw for 1,775 yards at Eastern Michigan in 2023. Faris said graduate student Jake Johnson, who appeared in one game for the Govs last fall, is also in the mix.

Another pair of FBS transfers will attempt to replace All-UAC running back Jevon Jackson, who followed Walden to UTEP. Graduate transfer La'Vell Wright was a three-star who played the past three seasons at Kentucky, running for 238 yards. O'Shaan Allison spent his first five seasons at Ohio and was the Bobcats' second-leading rusher in 2023. Returners Kaden Williams and Courtland Simmons, who both redshirted last fall, will push Wright and Allison for carries.

Malik Bowen-Sims, who spent the past four seasons at Duke, will lead APSU's receiving corps along with sophomore Jaden Barnes (204 receiving yards last season), former Georgia walk-on Braxton Hicks and Hampton grad transfer Romon Copeland Jr., the Pirates' leading receiver in 2023. Northern Colorado grad transfer Alec Pell is competing for snaps at tight end with graduate student Jack Baker and freshman Jase Skoglund.

Redshirt junior right guard Chandler Kirton, who was named to the preseason All-UAC team and who Faris called a "phenomenal leader," headlines the offensive line along with redshirt junior Harrison Wilkes, another returning two-year starter. Faris also added FBS transfers Chinazo Obobi (Marshall), Nate Lewis (Georgia Southern) and Marcus Alexander (Texas State) to the mix.

Austin Peay defense

While the standout unit last season was offense, the Govs' defense was also effective, finishing third in the UAC in points allowed with 24.5 per game. They reloaded here, too, with their top six tacklers — Tyler Long, Sam Howard, Xavier Smith, Kory Chapman, Michael Ruttlen Jr. and Jevon McIver Jr. — all having moved on.

Hosea Knifeley Jr., a preseason All-UAC pick in his fifth season at APSU, had 52 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and a team-high four sacks in 2023. Faris praised Za'Heir Barnes-Vaughn and Kinstin Reaves on the defensive line as well. Barnes-Vaughn, a redshirt junior, transferred from Division II Notre Dame College, while Reaves is a redshirt sophomore transfer from UNC-Pembroke.

With 15 tackles last season, Garrett Hawkins is the Governors' third-leading returning tackler. A sophomore, he'll be joined by graduate transfer Dion Hunter at linebacker. Hunter had 11 tackles at Cincinnati in 2023 but 69 at New Mexico in 2022.

Redshirt seniors Jesse Johnson and Sammy Anderson Jr., in addition to redshirt sophomore Ellis Ellis Jr., are playing "lights-out" at corner, according to Faris. Johnson had 28 tackles and six pass breakups last season at Tiffin, while Anderson is a former ESPN 300 recruit who had 16 stops at Cincinnati in 2022. Ellis appeared in 11 games for APSU last season.

Graduate student Dorian Davis, senior Cinque Williams and redshirt sophomore Trevor Hardy, all transfers, will lead the safeties. Davis had 73 tackles and an interception at Towson in 2023, Williams appeared in five games at UTSA and Hardy played in one game at Memphis.

MORE: What to know about Austin Peay football as Govs open 2024 season Aug. 31 at Louisville

Austin Peay special teams

Kicker Maddux Trujillo, who hit 13 of 15 field goals and 48 of 50 extra points last season, and punter Riley Stephens transferred to Temple and Western Kentucky, respectively.

Austin Peay added three specialists this offseason: Carson Smith, Tommy Holden and Maston Joyner. Smith was at East Carolina but never appeared in a game, Holden was a high school soccer player who attended Mississippi State for undergrad but did not play sports there, and Joyner is a freshman.

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Austin Peay football has plenty of new faces in 2024 under Jeff Faris